Posted on 04/04/2020 9:30:04 AM PDT by jazusamo
Everyone is up in arms about the fact that the Navy brass fired Captain Brett Crozier, of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, a Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, after Crozier complained about people on his ship being infected with COVID-19. To many people, he was a lone man fighting a hardened bureaucracy on behalf of the men and women in his care. To others, though, he was a dangerous malcontent who placed his entire ship at risk by ignoring rules that exist for a reason.
The report about Captain Brett Crozier, whose ship, the USS Roosevelt, was docked in Guam, broke like a bomb on March 31. Here’s the Stars and Stripes report on that day:
The captain of the USS Theodore Roosevelt has requested permission to remove most of the aircraft carrier’s crew from the ship and isolate roughly 4,000 sailors to help curtail a coronavirus outbreak aboard the vessel.Capt. Brett Crozier wrote in an unaddressed letter Monday to Navy leadership that the ship’s environment is “most conducive to spread of the disease” with open shared sleeping areas, shared restrooms and workspaces, and confined passageways to move through on the ship. He wrote the Roosevelt’s crew is unable to follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or Navy procedures to protect the health of sailors through individual isolation on the ship for 14 or more days.
“Due to a warship's inherent limitations of space, we are not doing this. The spread of the disease is ongoing and accelerating,” Crozier wrote.
Crozier was an instant hero for taking a stand on behalf of his crew. Indeed, the Navy’s initial response was to say that Crozier would not be punished for being so candid about conditions aboard his ship.
However, two days after the Crozier story broke, the Navy removed him...
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
Unless you would consider, “I would like some Ice Cream” an order.
LOL! Use Valley Girl code-talkers. No one will understand.
Airdales as much respect as I have for them can go off half cocked. As an airdale ground pounder one of my jobs was to keep the CO from falling on his sword. He should have gotten and listened to experts in the process of navigating chain of command.
There is a venerable message technique - unodir - unless otherwise directed - wherein he alerts the chain of command using easily understood Naval message protocols that he is pursuing a certain course of action. His operational and admin chains of command would be in the “to” or “cc” lines.
He would cite and quote appropriate Naval instructions. It would describe the problem and solution succinctly and in active tense. No passive tense. He would send the msg over an encrypted network with something less than flash priority so it doesn’t cause immediate intervention. He would not be defensive or accusatory.
Then he would proceed until otherwise directed. If he’s already in port he gets a grace period of a day or two to execute his plan unless a flash mission comes into play. By then he’d probably have critical mass in his favor.
If his task force cdr was not on board the Navy provides an escalation process. Out of courtesy he would direct the message to that admiral or at least cc him if he has to go over his head.
The captain sounds like he was running a cruise ship and caring for sick employees. He was not concerned at all with the naval readiness of his ship.
Exactly. He has absolute authority to use his authority to do what he needs to do to preserve his command, protect his people and execute his mission. And if circumstance requires, he can override administrative rules and orders of his superiors in the circumstance, when good judgment dictates that he must.
I've read that he was ordered by superiors to give liberty to the crew at a port in Vietnam in early March.
The Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group departed San Diego for a scheduled Indo-Pacific deployment on Jan. 17, the Navy said. Its last port visit was in Da Nang, Vietnam on March 5, to commemorate 25 years of U.S.-Vietnam diplomatic relations, the Navy said.
UH, YEAH. The Navy said they were working on the problem for seven days prior to the release of the memo. What they were doing is anyone’s guess. They never said what they were actually trying to do. What they ARE doing is exactly what Captain Crozier suggested in the memo.
Really? He wrote an email to Trump and every officer in between?
I think not...
“ Watch Midway again.”
******
Actually, I have watched the Charlton Heston version several times, have the DVD in my camper. Also, have watched the tv documentary too when I come across it. But, never picked up on what you’re referring to. Guess, having been a grunt I don’t really give a shit about Navy ranks.
Over-ruled him on what. The Admiral can plant his flag where he wants, but the Commanding Officer is the one responsible for the safety of his ship, not the Admiral.
Rickover was famous for testing his COs on this. Some failed and did what the Admiral told them, until Rickover reversed himself, and relieved the CO. The good one's over-ruled Rickover whenever something was going to get out of hand. It was a test.
I’d like to know who ordered liberty in Asia during a pandemic. I’ve been told that all the Navy wives were talking about the liberty in Vietnam.
At zero times have I been throwing out any generic statements on this thread. None.
If you have an answer as to how the command issued a public statement about the situation on the carrier before the supposed “rogue action” and yet the concerns had not been properly transmitted up the chain of command (which is exactly what the high command has just alleged) can be true present that information.
A lot of people are waiting to hear it.
Somebody is lying.
It is the answer to that question which shows exacty who is lying.
If he was responding to an emergency affecting the safety of his own ship, he wouldn’t send an UNODIR. He would just do it, informing his superiors of the situation and requesting assistance or advising of operational impacts, which he was vigorously seeking to minimize. That’s the CO’s job however many O6s and flag officers are on board.
Sounds like orders from above the captain.
The "cultural diversity" types installed by Æthelblack the Unready, the First of His Jugears.
Have to agree with you there.
The captain sounds like an 0bama perfumed prince.
So true. This man showed extremely poor judgement. Good he was gone so soon after taking over the ship.
I remember a particular scene from Midway where the Admiral is on the Bridge and given great deference but NO ONE was looking to him for orders. He was just standing aside out of the way. I remember wondering how many people “got that”. My neighbor is a retired sub 0-6. Worked with Nimitz. 30 years.
Making public issues of the ship’s preparedness not only put his crew in danger but the nation he serves to defend.
Best and most succinct explanation that I’ve seen.
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